


The Burden of Life

by dragonyibo



Category: Merlin (TV), 七つの大罪 - 鈴木央 | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga)
Genre: BAMF Arthur, BAMF Merlin, BAMF sins, BBC merlin x the seven deadly sins crossover, F/M, Female Merlin, Low-key angst?, Merlin is Merlin, a one-shot!!!, ageless/ age very slowly, an OC bc I’ve changed canon, arthur is jealous bc he’s in love but shh no one knows, based entirely off the show, but follows them well enough!, but it does switch, but nothing happens, changed canon a bit, everyone comes together to save the day, found families (kinda), haven’t read the manga, i don’t stray from canon THAT much, its fanfic i do what i want, its literally the show, made up some history etc to combine both shows, meliodas isn’t in love he’s just friendly, merlin POV mostly, merthur is there, no Gwen/Elizabeth, not really anyways!, ofc the Camelot arc in TSDS doesn’t happen in this, oh and lancelot is alive btw, okay changed canon a lot, reconciliation among friends, saving the world! Just bestie things, so doesn’t follow each show exactly (sorry), that’s my BABY, the sins are all immortal, you don’t need to have watched both shows to understand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonyibo/pseuds/dragonyibo
Summary: The discovery of new monsters who have power remarkably similar to that of the Demon Race, destroyed 2,000 years ago, forces Merlin to reveal her past to the man she trusts more than anyone - King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot.Calling upon her old friends, the Seven Deadly Sins, she must combine her two lives in an attempt to save Camelot before it’s too late.
Relationships: Diane/Fairy King Harlequin, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	The Burden of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Title ones from the song ‘Burden of Life’ by Sumsher ft Xydo! It’s an excellent song and I thought the title would fit this fic well - it’s well worth a listen!
> 
> This fic is absolutely self indulgent, both of these shows are some of my favourites and every time I watched TSDS I couldn’t help but think - what if this was linked to the BBC version of Merlin we so adore?
> 
> Yes, I have twisted canon events and the Sins abilities to fit this so pls don’t all yell at me! No I haven’t read the manga, so all my information comes from the show itself or the Wiki page, I am not all seeing or all knowing! I have also changed some of the history/events in both shows in order to blend them together - please forgive this, I needed both to work together and this required changing a couple of things! Nothing major though, so don’t worry about that!
> 
> I proofread as much as humanly possible, but I AM only human - please forgive mistakes!!!
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy and stay safe during these strange times! :)

Merlin had seen much in her life - her incredibly long, incredibly exhausting life. She had seen Kingdoms rise and fall, witnessed the extinction of races and the birth of others. Merlin liked to think of herself as wise and attuned to what is next to come but she could never have predicted that which she found in the Kingdom of Camelot.

Namely, one Arthur Pendragon. He was no longer the arrogant, pompous prince that Merlin had clashed with a short while after her arrival in Camelot. He grew to become one of her closest friends and she had served him as a faithful servant for many years. Even after all they had been through together, after defeating the Sorceress Morgana and witnessing Arthur being crowned King of Albion, Merlin couldn’t help but see Arthur as the young man he once was. He knew of her magic, naturally, and he hadn’t been surprised when she had been forced to reveal it to him after his injury fighting against Morgana and the Saxons. 

“Merlin,” He’d said, managing to sound amused despite his near fatal injury. “You do realise you haven’t aged in the 12 years you’ve served me? I always suspected magic was the reason for it.”

And that was that. Merlin was content to serve her King until the end of time, as was the prophecy. Merlin had not thought that she would ever have to contact her friends ... the ones from a life she lived long before she came to Camelot. A time when the Demon Race had run rampant across the world. They were nothing but stories now, of course, bedtime tales told to children to frighten them into going to sleep on time. Merlin certainly never expected that she would have to reveal her true heritage, nor her frightening age. As far as Arthur was concerned, Merlin was a powerful Sorceress and the growth of her power granted her eternal life so that she might live to see the prophecy fulfilled for generations. Sometimes ignorance was bliss and Merlin firmly believed this was one of those instances. 

Her hand subconsciously reached up to rub at the scar branded onto her neck, the symbol that marked her as the Boar Sin of Gluttony. The mark that defined her as a member of the Seven Deadly Sins, the strongest order of Holy Knights that had even been seen in the Kingdom of Liones. She kept it covered at all times to avoid questions, and it had only ever been seen once. It was only 3 years after she had moved to Camelot to follow the prophecy, and she had overslept, forcing her to leave her room quickly so that she wasn’t late for her serving duties for the _then_ Prince Arthur. The neckerchief she notoriously wore was absent from her neck. Gaius, the Court Physician Merlin had been staying with, noticed the carved mark immediately and Merlin covered it with her hair and left. He didn’t mention it again, but Merlin spotted him researching the image. 

She didn’t concern herself about it overly - he wouldn’t find the image in any book but story books, which Merlin could always tamper with if she needed to. Holy Knights didn’t exist anymore, that magic had died out a very long time ago along with the last of the Demon Race, and Merlin was sure that she alone possessed the old magic. The new Sorcerers of this age appeared to wield Druid magic and it was nothing like the power of the Holy Knights. The Kingdom of Liones no longer existed either; it had been a sad day indeed when it had fallen and yet none of the Sins had gone to its aid. All of them had scattered after the final defeat of the Ten Commandments, almost a thousand years before the fall of Liones.

“Merlin, there you are!” Her King’s voice drew Merlin from her thoughts. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I’m sorry, Sire. I needed somewhere to think.”

Arthur looked around at the empty ramparts, his eyes scanning across the wide view of Camelot that was visible from this height and nodded. 

“I understand. I come here often too.” He stepped up beside Merlin and nudged her a little with his shoulder. “Are you thinking about those creatures we saw?”

Yes, the creatures. Merlin had been thinking about those before her thoughts had run away with her and she got distracted by distant memories. The creatures her King spoke of had been discovered by them both, along with a handful of soldiers, a week previous. It had been a simple scouting expedition - rumours of strange beasts attacking outlying villages reached the Capitol of Camelot and Arthur, ever a man of the people, set out at once to discover the problem. Merlin rarely left his side and so of course went with him, as did the Knights of the Round Table, leaving Gaius in charge for a few days. The mission seemed to go smoothly until they reached the village in question. It was completely deserted, almost every building destroyed or burned, no life to be spotted for hundreds of metres. Merlin could feel the dark energy that penetrated the air straight away and dismissed the thought that came to mind immediately. After all, how could the Demon Race return after millennia in extinction? Was this some foul trick of a remarkably skilled Sorcerer?

The sight of the monsters had answered some of Merlin’s questions. They were not the Demon Race, certainly not as she remembered them, but the similarity in their crushing dark power was frightening. They were horrific looking and half-terrified the soldiers to death. Only the rallying effort of King Arthur wielding the Dragon-blessed sword Excalibur and Merlin’s immense power stopped their rampage. Even then though, Merlin could sense that they had not been truly destroyed and as they began their journey back to Camelot, Merlin began to wonder many things. Did they have multiple hearts as Demons did? Are they evolved from Demons? Was this the fruit of one Sorcerers vile labour, an unholy creation based off the dark race of old?

“Yes.” Merlin replied heavily.

“Do you know how to defeat them?” The King whispered to her and Merlin turned her head to face him, taking in his furrowed brow and pursed lips.

Merlin had promised Arthur that she would find a way to destroy these creatures as soon as possible. Unfortunately, every route Merlin explored ended up at the same conclusion. 

“I believe we will need help. If what I assume about these creatures is correct, they will outnumber Camelot’s forces 20 to 1. The skill of one creature will match that of a squadron of Knights.”

Arthur spluttered for a moment before finally regaining the ability to speak. 

“What!?” His voice was high and incredulous. “Surely that’s not possible. Besides, we took out that one at the village easily enough?”

“That was still two on one. Though I’ll admit I was impressed that you were able to push past the fear they imposed upon you all, though I suspect that your control of the Holy Sword had something to do with that.“ Merlin explained, though she was speaking more to herself than to Arthur. Her thoughts were distracted - she wasn’t cautious of what she was saying anymore. The memory of her time as a Sin was diverting her from the role she had set herself to play. 

“Holy Sword?” Arthur’s eyebrows rose. “You mean Excalibur?”

Merlin shook her head to dismiss his words. “Your effort was commendable, and with more training you alone may have a fighting chance against them. It was my power that subdued the creature.”

“Subdued? Are you saying we didn’t kill it?” His eyes had darkened dangerously. 

Merlin turned her gaze back out towards Camelot, her grip tightening on the stone walls as she accepted what she must do. The thing she had dreaded most. 

“No, we didn’t kill it. For that I would have to use my full power, something I have not done for many years.”

Arthur didn’t reply to this, he simply stared open mouthed at his Court Sorceress in disbelief. 

“Call the Knights to the Table. I will explain.” She said and her King opened his mouth to say something before closing it again.

“Very well.” His voice was stiff. He then turned on his heel and entered the castle, Merlin following a few moments after.

The Knights seemed confused at having been summoned but each took their seat, looking expectantly up at their King who shook his head and gestured to Merlin. 

“Merlin?” Sir Gwaine said, his eyes narrowing a little in suspicion.

“It seems I owe each of you an apology. There is a lot you don’t know about me. Much I ... chose to not reveal to you all. A life before Camelot that I haven’t told you about. All that you do know, or think you know about me, is a...” She paused for a moment before pushing on, “A lie. I needed to start again in Camelot and so I spun a false story of my life. However, I see now that if we are to fight back against these creatures, those found in the outlying villages, you need to know exactly who I am.” Merlin risked a glance at Arthur, whose jaw was firmly set as he ground his teeth, his blue eyes dull and cold and suppressed a wince. 

She did not blame him for his reaction. His trust in her, in everything she had told him, had been unshakable, their bond forged through destiny. Yet, here she stood, revealing all was false. Her childhood growing up in Ealdor, her mother, her childhood best friend Will; all of it. Merlin had worked tirelessly to keep the threads of her lies together, altering memories of innocent people to keep up the facade of a normal life she had tried to play. The Sorceress wasn’t surprised that it had all fallen through. She was not a fool: she knew this would happen one day but had wished beyond all hope that it would not happen in Arthur’s lifetime. That she would not have to suffer his resentment and distrust as she revealed how she had hidden enormous power and knowledge, things that could have wreaked havoc upon Camelot had she been in the mood for it. 

With a suppressed sigh, Merlin tore her eyes away from her King and began to speak. She explained that she had been born in Belialuin, the capital of Wizards, 5,000 years ago and grew up as a prodigy among the capitals inhabitants. She was a talent unlike any other seen. Merlin told of how she had grown up during the first Holy War, against the Demon Race who were led by the foulest of all Demons. Those who personally shared in the power of the Demon King - the Ten Commandments. She explained how Meliodas, the leader of the Ten Commandments, had abandoned the Demon Race and fought alongside the Goddess Clan. He was the first person to extend a hand of love to Merlin and she owed him a lot. She described how she had cleverly played both the Demon King and the Supreme Deity when they offered her gifts to entice her to fight on their sides, and ended up with both gifts. From the Demon King, she was given knowledge of the dark secret arts of the Demon Realm and immunity to the brainwashing and possession abilities of the Goddess Race. The Supreme Deity gave her protection against dark curses and Commandments. She explained how the Coffin of Eternal Darkness had been built to seal away the Demon Race and so the First Holy War ended. Her journeys and adventures with the Seven Deadly Sins were described in detail too, the mouths of the Knights dropping open as Merlin described a Giant girl who drew her power from the earth and a Fairy King, who had incredible magical strength. Merlin finished her tale by describing the Second Holy War and the lengths the Seven Sins went to in order to finally rid the world of the Commandments. 

With a sigh, she reached up and tugged the scrap of cloth off from her neck and bared the red Boar tattoo for the Table to see. Arthur’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of the tattoo, the tangible proof other than her word that what she had said was true, was enough. Merlin’s fingers curled into fists and she guiltily looked over at her King.

“Merlin...” Gwaine said gently, casting a fearful look at Arthur. “Does ... does this mean you could have easily defeated Morgana? That you ... deliberately withheld your power in order to keep up appearances, to maintain this lie? That in your selfishness you allowed thousands of people to die unnecessarily?” 

“Yes. It does.” She said, a thick lump forming in her throat, stinging her eyes and she swallowed. “I...”

Her eyes found Arthur’s; his face was expressionless and after a moment, he spun on his heel and left the throne room. Silence hung heavy in the room, stagnant and repulsive, until it was punctured by Percival’s out-of-character timidness as he asked,

“Merlin? These Seven Deadly Sins ... they’re all still alive?”

She took a deep breath and shrugged.

“I can only assume so. They were all likely to be granted immortality, if not already immortal as I was. Meliodas, Ban, Gowther and King, that is King Harlequin of the Fairies, should certainly still be alive unless killed. Which is incredibly unlikely. Ban couldn’t be killed anyways, he is undead. Escanor and Diane ... I would hope they are alive.” Merlin quickly shut her mouth, lest she continue blabbering on. 

“You haven’t spoken to them?” Gwaine’s face screwed up in confusion and Merlin resisted the urge to smile. Her fondness of the Knights would earn her no brownie points now. 

“Not since the defeat of the Commandments, nearly 2,000 years ago. Captain Meliodas disbanded us and we set off on our own. I had expected us to reunite to rescue the Kingdom of Liones from its fate but ... none showed.” Merlin grimaced a little as the guilt she’d felt at the time resurfaced.

“So how do you know you could reach them now?” Leon questioned, ever the logical thinker.

“We devised a way to call everyone to each other, if we ever needed the assistance of the others. A spell of my own creation, of course.”

“Merlin ... what do you look like? The real you?” Gwaine asked in a small voice.

“My physical appearance does not change.” She gestured to her tall, thin frame and black hair that grazed her shoulders. “Though my outfit wouldn’t usually look like this. Plus I normally carry my Sacred Treasure, _Aldan_.”

The Mage wiggled her fingers and the ball appeared, hovering over her hand. Gaius, who had been stood quietly at the side of the hall not saying anything, gasped at the sight of it.

“That’s what you used to guide Arthur from the caves all those years ago! When you were dying from poison!”

Merlin inclined her head to acknowledge his words and the Physician gaped in awe.

“So you truly were poisoned?” Leon quizzed her.

“Yes. Whilst I’m sure my magic would have saved me eventually had Arthur failed, his finding of the cure certainly helped me get better much quicker. It is possible for me to be killed - I am not undead, like the Fox Sin Ban is.”

“And speaking to Dragons? What of that?” Lancelot posed thoughtfully. 

“We are both made of the same old magic. So I can summon them to do my bidding. I am perhaps the strongest Mage to have ever existed, so yes they answer me.”

Gwaine had the look of someone who was trying very hard to not be impressed and Merlin allowed herself a small smile that time. 

“Well,” Lancelot began slowly, “I’ve been your friend for a very long time, Merlin. Or a long time for a mortal, anyway. You had your reasons for keeping this from us and considering everything you’ve said, about a Demon Race and a Giantess girl and a doll who can act for itself...” The Knight trailed off and shook his head firmly. “I can see why you didn’t tell us. It’s rather overwhelming, isn’t it? Besides, I imagine us knowing that these myths are true and not just stories isn’t exactly ideal either and it was something you wished to avoid. Not just with Arthur, but always.”

Merlin sat down at the Round Table, her Sacred Treasure hovering near her head. She noticed the Knights eyes flick to it every now and then before forcibly making themselves look at her. 

“You’re right, Lancelot. When our Captain, that is, Meliodas, disbanded the Seven Deadly Sins I truly never expected to see them again, as sad as that sounds. I had sort of resigned myself to living out my immortality alone until the prophecy of Arthur and I was made. I genuinely never believed that I would have to return to that life, or tell anyone about it. In fact I was quite happy to leave it all behind.” Her eyes glazed over the other occupants of the Table. “You know about the prophecy, of course. The one I told you all about after the fight against Morgana.”

“I don’t get it.” Elyan said. “You told us that these were your closest friends? Especially Meliodas. How could you all just ... leave each other?”

“Meliodas had to take on a power he never expected to have again in order to fight against the Ten Commandments. He needed the time to accommodate that. Ban wished to leave anyway, King had to look after the Fairy Forest. Escanor thought his power would kill him and wanted to be away from us all and pass on quietly.” Merlin shrugged. “We were friends. But we had things to do alone and so we walked away. We had our promise though - the spell I created, that would summon us all to the location of the one who called.”

“I couldn’t imagine doing that. Leaving you all for a reason of my own; it seems so ...” Elyan broke off.

“Selfish?” Merlin supplied and Elyan nodded awkwardly.

“I suppose it was. We are immortals and things like that just ... don’t seem to bother us.” Merlin sighed. “You learn quickly to not get too attached. Even to other immortals.”

Merlin’s mouth quirked into a sad sort of smile.

“A word of advice.” Leon said after a few minutes of silence. “Leave Arthur alone. He’ll come to you when he’s ready.”

The Mage nodded her head and stood up, bowing to the Knights before leaving the throne room, her heart a heavy burden in her chest.

/

“Merlin.” Arthur’s soft voice floating through her bedroom door made Merlin startle. It had been nearly ten days since she confessed to her past at the Round Table and she hadn’t seen Arthur since then. He had barricaded himself in his rooms and Merlin, taking Leon’s advice, had left him to it, spending her time in her own quarters within Gaius’ house. Gaius had left her alone too after saying his piece to her.

“I must say I do not appreciate being played like a harp. My mind is my own and the thought that you manipulated memories of mine to suit your own purpose...” He had sighed then, his age cast plainly across his face. “I am disappointed. Confused, too, as how am I meant to know the difference between what is real and what is the spell you have put on me? Yet, when I think about it, I realise that I have been your ward for nearly 15 years now and it is no spell that I care for you as I would my own daughter, and so you shall receive my forgiveness in time. For now though, I suggest you apply yourself to finding out more about these creatures. Remember, do not summon these Seven Deadly Sins without King Arthur’s permission.”

Gaius had left then, leaving Merlin stood in the physician’s work area feeling rather foolish. She heeded his advice however, and spent the following days cooped up in her room, running test after test to discover as much about the creatures as she could.

“Merlin?” Arthur repeated. “Can I come in?”

“Of course, Sire.” Merlin said softly. 

The wooden door creaked open and Arthur peered around, stepping awkwardly inside. He was dressed well, his blonde hair combed and somewhat styled, but the dark shadows under his eyes spoke of his exhaustion. Arthur scanned her bedroom, taking in the many experimental objects, before taking a seat next to his serving girl. 

“Merlin.” He said once more, releasing a heavy sigh and Merlin rested her hand on his arm. “I ... I should apologise. For walking out without saying anything, I mean. It’s just-“

“Don’t.” She said brusquely and he blinked up at her with his impossibly blue eyes. “You don’t need to apologise. I do.” The Mage swallowed thickly. 

“I should have never kept those secrets from you. Not _you_. Never had I imagined that I would have to reveal myself, or contact anyone from my past, and so it never occurred to me that I was hurting anyone by not telling the truth. Your reaction was absolutely warranted. Not to mention I selfishly chose to let thousands of people die just so I could continue lying to you all, like Gwaine said.” Merlin offered up a loose smile. “I’m surprised you’re here already. You came earlier than I imagined, actually.”

“Merlin.” Arthur said exasperatedly. “Please. It took me a while, a _long_ while to understand why you did it but ... I see why you didn’t tell me. I mean, even though I suspected of your magic for many years, I hadn’t exactly given you a reason to trust in telling me. The only reason you revealed it was because you thought I was dying, right?” Seeing his Sorceress’ face he waved his hand to dismiss her worries. “I don’t blame you for that, either. It’s just ... all you said, all you revealed. Well, it changes everything doesn’t it? The fact that there are individuals that can live for 5,000 years and not age. That Giants once roamed the world, and Fairies and that they still might. That ... _Demons_ ... existed. When you said you had something to tell us, never was I expecting that. I can scarcely believe it now, imagine revealing that to me alongside the secret of you having magic? Especially with all that had happened with Morgana?”

His eyes found the tattoo on the side of Merlin’s neck and the King’s mouth twitched. 

“And then to learn of a time when Holy Knights existed? That magic was gifted to all and not those who sought to learn it...” He sighed. “How much of what we know is incorrect?”

“Only a few nuances. The ones who called themselves Sorcerers these days are born of Druid blood. The Druids existed all those years ago too, and their magic, I believe, came from the Goddess Race. The Druids today ... well they are much weaker than what I used to know. Morgana and Mordred were perhaps the only exceptions - born Druids and not just descended from them. I admit, had I revealed my true nature to you sooner and used my full power I could have very easily defeated them both but, if we are measuring them against other Sorcerers created in this age, they were some of the strongest.” Merlin smirked a little. “I could defeat most other Sorcerers who walk the earth nowadays whilst asleep. Except whoever created these monsters, it would seem.”

“So they were created by one with magic? Magic like yours?” Arthur questioned, his blue eyes shining inquisitively. 

“I was led to believe there were no survivors after Belialuin was destroyed.” Merlin shrugged. “It wouldn’t be impossible to suppose that a few escaped. With thousands of years to gather strength there is no reason why a wizard could not catch up with me. These are questions I hope my companions will be able to answer, should you grant me permission to summon them to Camelot.”

Arthur was silent for a while after that but Merlin didn’t press him. Instead, she turned her attention back to her experiments, fiddling with a test tube. She cast a few spells to test the contents and shivered as the repulsive dark energy licked at her magic, making it recoil back into her. 

“Yes.” Arthur said finally and Merlin turned to stare at him. “You said it before - my soldiers will be of no use against these creatures. We will need the help of your companions so ... yes. I give permission for you to summon them to Camelot.”

Merlin released a heavy sigh and then brought her hand up to her tattoo, shutting her eyes and pushing her power into it.

**_I, Merlin, the Boar Sin of Gluttony, summon each of you to the Kingdom of Camelot in Britannia. I need your help once more, my friends._ **

Her tattoo seared with pain as though fire coursed through every line carved into her skin before it faded to a dull ache and Merlin pulled her hand away. Arthur watched her curiously.

“Now we wait.” She told him.

/

“A man!” Sir Gwaine ran breathlessly into the throne room not five days after Merlin had sent out the call to the other Sins. Arthur startled in his throne and sat up straighter, exchanging a brief look with Merlin. “A man approaches the gates of Camelot!”

“What does he look like?” Merlin asked urgently.

“Blonde, his hair at his chin and beardless, wearing simple clothing. He has some kind of sword strapped to his back-” Gwaine broke off at the look on the Court Sorceress’ face.

“Meliodas.” Merlin’s voice was a whisper and her chest filled with an indescribable emotion. 

In the blink of an eye, she had transported herself, Arthur and Gwaine to the gates and stepped over to them. The two men looked around, bewildered for a second before Gwaine groaned and doubled over, retching a little and looking pale. Arthur was simply watching his serving girl with a newfound respect. Merlin, however, barely noticed this and was staring instead at the man who was getting ever closer. With a careless wave of her hand, the Camelot gates were pushed open, the soldiers outside them jumping in fright when the huge iron structures started to move of their own accord, and walked out to meet him.

“Captain.” She said and the man smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. 

He had aged, finally. The Meliodas stood in front of her looked much like the wanted poster that had been released after the Sins were banished from Liones; the spitting image of his brother Estarossa, only blonde and his face was full of kindness where Estarossa had only cruelty. 

“Hi!” He greeted jovially but stepped forwards and rested an arm on Merlin’s shoulder, gripping it firmly. “Merlin, it’s good to see you.” He spoke in an undertone, a thousand other meanings weaved into those words. Merlin’s heart settled at the presence of her oldest friend. 

“Captain.” Merlin repeated again, feeling silly for being unable to say much else. Meliodas understood though, as he always did, and simply nodded at her, his eyes looking over her shoulder and staring at the castle. He whistled loudly.

“Now that’s a castle!” He said loudly, grinning. “It even puts old man Bartra’s to shame, don’t you think? Is that where you live, Merlin?” Meliodas peered at the Mage. “Is it yours?”

“Of course not.” Merlin said, suddenly coming into herself and smirking at her Captain’s antics. His appearance may have finally changed, but it seemed his personality would remain the same. “It belongs to my King. Arthur Pendragon.”

Meliodas said nothing at her wording and instead nodded heavily.

“Well, well, well!” He declared loudly, stepping around Merlin and walking up to Arthur. They were around the same height yet Meliodas, despite his unassuming look, had a feel of intimidation about him and Merlin noticed Arthur swallow thickly. “You must be the King! I am Meliodas, the Dragon Sin of Wrath and Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

They both shook hands and Arthur stared blankly at Meliodas’ face.

“You’re a demon.” He said eventually and Meliodas’ smile didn’t falter.

“Yep! That’s me.” The Dragon Sin turned back to face Merlin. “You told him then?”

“I had to.” At Merlin’s tone, Meliodas’ face immediately became serious. 

“Tell me everything.”

They moved back into the throne room and sat on the stairs leading up to the throne, which Arthur slumped ungracefully into. Merlin hastily explained what had occurred with the creatures, and her suspicions of a wizard of Belialuin being behind it. Meliodas’ face was pulled into a tight frown as he thought about it.

“It’s ... certainly possible. Though like you, I thought Belialuin was completely destroyed with no survivors. Surely it would have been difficult for a wizard to escape without notice?”

“Except it wouldn’t...” Merlin began thoughtfully. “Everyone’s attention was on fighting the Holy War. Belialuin was destroyed for my deceit, then all eyes turned back to sealing away the Demon Race. If anyone had escaped... well that was the best time for it.”

“Hmm.” Meliodas hummed, nodding to acknowledge Merlin’s words. “I have heard nothing of another wizard but then I have been rather ... removed from the world.” Her captain picked his words carefully, but Merlin knew what he referred to; he kept his distance so that he could deal with his incredible wrath and immense power without hurting anyone. He had almost reached breaking point during the second Holy War and it was the primary reason for disbanding the Seven Deadly Sins. 

“I understand.” Merlin said. “Hopefully the others arrive and will have some information.”

“They’ll come, Merlin. My tattoo burned as though I was being branded and I heard your voice echo in my head. We bound ourselves in promise to answer that call - they’ll come.” Meliodas said firmly, resting a hand on Merlin’s wrist.

And if Arthur glared at them both in an attempt to squash his rising jealously, well, only he needed to know about it.

/

The next evening, two more Sins approached the gates.

“Two more have reached Camelot, Merlin.” This time it was Elyan who looked nervously at Merlin, as he described who he saw. “Both small men, rather skinny. One has a moustache and glasses, the other has ... dark red hair. Also wearing glasses.” He finished off the sentence incredulously.

“Escanor and Gowther.” Meliodas supplied.

“Escanor is alive then.” Merlin murmured and Meliodas smiled.

“You have such little faith in your magic? You halted his curse, Merlin. It was your spell that stopped the heat from burning him alive.” Meliodas grinned. “It seems like it gave him immortality too.”

The Boar Sin rolled her eyes fondly.

“Bring them in.” Merlin directed the sentence to Elyan who bowed and left the room. 

Arthur was sat frozen in his throne, staring at his Court Sorceress who sat closely to the Dragon Sin. He didn’t trust him, Arthur decided, though it had nothing to do with his demonic heritage, nor his treatment of Arthur and his Knights. In fact, he treated both graciously and was incredibly respectful, not overstepping his boundaries once.

No.

It was the gentle touches and whispered words to Merlin, _his_ Merlin, that made Arthur dislike Meliodas, Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. Meliodas seemed far too intimate with Merlin and yet his serving girl didn’t seem to ever shrug Meliodas off. The King hoped that the arrival of others would distract the blonde haired man. The doors were pushed open, Elyan entering first and then two men following behind him. 

“Lady Merlin!” One man nearly sobbed, practically throwing himself to the floor at Merlin’s feet. “You are well!”

“Escanor.” Merlin’s voice was tinged with amusement and Arthur clutched the arm of his seat tightly. “Please, on your feet. You’re ... okay?”

“Yes.” Escanor then smiled and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Your spell, Lady Merlin, has served me well. The **Sunshine** doesn’t tear away at my flesh anymore - rather it ... it is comfortable.”

“And the immortality?”

“Not something I expected,” Escanor admitted, his voice humorous. “But not entirely hated. It always made me upset that I would age and die whilst my closest friends lived to see the world pass for eons. Now I can join my friends in seeing the new world rise.”

Arthur couldn’t see Merlin’s face but he knew she would be smiling - her coy, proud smile that made his gut wrench.

“Gowther.” She said, addressing the other man. “You’ve been okay?”

“I have been learning,” His voice was bland, lacking any kind of emotion and Arthur placed the name; this was Gowther, the doll. “To have emotions. I have met many people and learned much in these years.”

“Your heart?”

Gowther patted the metal heart that hung on a chain around his neck and offered an awkward smile. Arthur couldn’t believe he had missed it before.

“It stays with me, always.” The doll replied.

“That’s good.” Merlin sighed and got to her feet, turning to face Arthur. Her dark eyes watched him for a few seconds, as though she could see right through him, before she spoke. “King Arthur. This is Escanor, the Lion Sin of Pride, and Gowther the Goat Sin of Lust.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Arthur greeted politely. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Camelot. Thank you for coming to help.”

“Monsters that harken back to the Demon Race threaten your Kingdom.” Gowther said, cocking his head a little and Merlin glared at him. 

“Stay out of my King’s head, Gowther.” She all but growled and Arthur’s heart nearly burst out of his chest.

“Your King...?” Gowther repeated with all the innocence of a child.

“What does he mean? The Demon Race...?” Escanor asked nervously, tugging at his green waistcoat.

“It’s why I summoned you all here.”

“You think there is a wizard from your birthplace, from Belialuin, out there creating these monsters in order to flush us out. To make the Seven Deadly Sins reveal themselves, finally.” Gowther said. 

“Stop reading my thoughts!” Merlin snapped but her face softened almost immediately afterwards. “But yes. That’s my theory.”

“Your theories are nearly always correct.” Meliodas said finally, getting to his feet and rubbing his hands on his trousers. He looked between his comrades. 

“Captain!” Escanor squawked suddenly. “I did not greet you! A thousand apologies, for I was distracted by the glory of Lady Merlin and-“

Meliodas giggled, _giggled_ , and waved a hand to interrupt Escanor’s nervous babble. Arthur remembered the stories of the Lion Sin that Merlin had told them about and, watching the skinny, frail man in front of him, he wasn’t sure how they were the same person. Perhaps the years had made the Lion Sin lose his touch. 

“Don’t worry, old friend! We will have plenty of time to catch up.“ Meliodas said cheerfully, patting Escanor on the shoulder. “But come! It is late, and you should both get some rest. Hopefully our other companions will join us soon enough.”

/

Meliodas’ prediction turned out to be correct. The following afternoon the ground began to shake as heavy, thudding footsteps echoed over Camelot and Merlin transported herself, Arthur, Meliodas, Escanor and Gowther to the front gates. Escanor had grown in size and strength with the rise of the sun, boggling the minds of Arthur and his Knights, and stood tall watching Diane, the great Giantess, walk towards the gates. On one shoulder, sat a grey haired man who was dressed in all red, casually lounged against the girls neck. Above the other, a young man hovered with beautiful iridescent wings stretching out behind him, a metal spear floating next to his head. The Giantess stopped outside the gates and then knelt down, a wide grin stretching across her pretty features.

“Merlin!” She shrieked happily and Merlin stepped forwards. 

She had dearly missed female company and Diane’s presence felt like a warm hug. 

“Diane.” Merlin greeted back, struggling to suppress her grin. Really, her time in Camelot had changed her. “King. You both look well.”

Like Meliodas, they had both aged slowly. Diane’s face looked older though her purple eyes still twinkled with innocence and excitement, and King looked much the same: no longer a child monarch, but a young man, with beautiful wings and power that could be physically _felt_. 

“Merlin.” King said and he offered a shy grin. “You haven’t changed.”

Merlin winked at him and faced Ban, the Fox Sin of Greed, who was staring at Meliodas blankly, an ominous presence filling the air. After a moment, a huge smile spread over Ban’s face. 

“Captain!” He called happily.

“Ban!” Meliodas replied with equal enthusiasm and they ran towards each other. 

“If you’re going to fight, I would rather you did not destroy my King’s castle.” Merlin said with a sigh, and raised a hand. “ **Perfect cube.** ”

A shimmering pink barrier formed around the two Sins just as they collided with each other, the force slamming into the spell which held firm.

“What’s that?” Arthur asked from Merlin’s shoulder.

“It’s called ‘ **perfect cube** ’. An impenetrable barrier. You’ll see why it’s needed.” 

Arthur watched the two men continue to fight and saw the level of damage they were dealing each other and his eyes widened in shock.

“Do they ... always greet each other like this?” He said curiously. 

Diane laughed.

“Your King is adorable, Merlin!” She cooed, clapping her hands.

King landed on the ground, his Spirit Spear _Chastiefol_ stood upright behind him.

“You would be the King of Camelot?” He questioned and when Arthur nodded, King gave a genuine smile and held out his hand, which Arthur shook. “Wonderful to meet you. I am King Harlequin of the Fairies.”

“A-An honour.” Arthur stumbled over his words but King was kind, and smiled, stepping back next to Diane.

“Ah,” Merlin said and clicked her fingers. Diane immediately began to shrink and after a moment, she stood human sized and her hammer, _Gideon_ , had been made miniature and stored away. King smiled at Diane and took her hand. “As they fight...”

Merlin gestured to where Escanor and Gowther stood and the four Sins joined together and began to happily catch up. Arthur stood, ever present, at Merlin’s shoulder carefully watching the Sins, his eyes wide to take in as much as he could. Merlin reached out and patted his arm, nodding encouragingly.

“King Harlequin..” He began and King turned around. “How... How is the Fairy Forest?”

King seemed pleasantly surprised by Arthur’s question.

“It is well, thank you! Smaller than it once was but the other Fairies and I created a barrier to protect what remains. The Sacred Tree still stands and many of my people still live.” Harlequin smiled ruefully. “I must admit, fading into legend and story has been difficult. Many, myself included, wished to travel out but it was not safe.”

“I’m sorry.” Arthur said, his voice filled with real sympathy and King shook his head.

“It is no fault of your own, King Arthur of Camelot. The time of men was always destined to come and there will be a time one day where no magic at all exists.” His words seemed to echo and Arthur’s heart stirred.

“What will you do then?”

“What the rest of us will do.” Merlin said. “Blend in.”

The Mage then turned and muttered the spell to remove the perfect cube barrier, allowing Ban and Meliodas to walk over and greet everyone.

“Excellent, now you’re all here.” Merlin faced the group. “King Arthur, meet King Harlequin, the Grizzly’s Sin of Sloth, Diane the Serpent Sin of Envy and Ban, the Fox Sin of Greed. Thank you all for coming.” She added with a fond smile that none of them missed. 

“A pleasure to meet you all.” Arthur greeted and Diane giggled again.

“Gah,” Ban spat, waving his hand. “We came, Merlin, cos’ we made a promise. I will always keep a promise I made to my friends.”

He cracked his knuckles rather menacingly. 

“So? What do ya need us for?” He grinned lazily.

“We’ll go inside and then I’ll explain.” In a blink, Merlin had moved them all indoors to the throne room, where many of the Knights had already gathered at the Round Table. The Sins eyed it appreciatively as the Knights stared open mouthed at the people in front of them. Merlin noticed Gwaine very pointedly trying to _not_ look at King’s glorious wings. 

After a round of introductions, Merlin explained the situation and her fears of what was the cause of the problems, a chorus of confused mutterings filling the room the moment she stopped speaking. 

“A Belialuin wizard?” Ban repeated, raising his eyebrows. “They’re way before my time, but Merlin, weren’t you the strongest?”

“I was.” She conceded. “But that isn’t to say one couldn’t catch up if given 5,000 years to prepare. I very well may still have the edge over them but unless I face them...” Merlin trailed off and Ban frowned.

“And their creations? The Monsters?” King pressed gently.

“Certainly inspired by the Demon Race. They’re almost ... their own version? Not the Demon Race we knew, but something else.”

“And you didn’t kill the one you faced?” Meliodas confirmed and Merlin shook her head.

“It was before Merlin had told me who she ... who she really was.” Arthur seemed surprised as everyone fixed their attention on him but continued smoothly, “She used her power to subdue the creature but that was about it. I attempted to fight against it too.”

“The creatures emit some kind of ... dark energy. It filled the hearts of these men with terror ... and they have faced many enemies with immense bravery before.” Merlin added, viciously defending the Knights as Ban rolled his eyes. “They were helpless against this energy however. Only Arthur, who wields the Holy Sword, was able to be unaffected by it and attempt to fight the creature.”

“The Holy Sword?” Meliodas repeated, his eyes filling with surprise. “The sword that contains the essence and soul of every man who wielded it before? Arthur is ... the Once and Future King?” 

“Yes.” Merlin said, taking pride in the amazed expression that took over Meliodas’ face. “A prophecy was made of the two of us - it was said that I was to aid Arthur in becoming King, to help him unite the Lands of Albion and once again allow magic to be practiced legally.”

“It was outlawed?” King hissed in a horrified voice to Diane, who gently shushed him.

“Our fates were tied together. We are two sides of the same coin. Arthur is the only man who could wield the Holy Sword, the only man with the strength and power to unite the lands and become the Once and Future King.” 

“Well, well, well!” Meliodas said loudly. “King Arthur, it is then truly humbling to be in your presence. It has been many years since I have seen someone wield Excalibur. It takes a man of exceptional strength and will.”

Arthur, shocked at the attention and beginning to understand that what he knew of magic and prophecies was a drop compared to the unknown ocean, nodded his thanks. 

“If his fate was tied to Merlin, he wouldn’t be just anyone. In any case, it is curious that such a prophecy was made, especially of a Mage as old as Merlin.” King glanced over at her. “Who revealed it to you?”

“At first, a voice in my head. It urged me to go to Camelot, to seek out Arthur Pendragon and guide him into becoming King. I learned later I was hearing the voice of Kilgarrah, the Great Dragon.”

“ _Dragon_?” Diane gasped, glancing over at Meliodas who looked quite amused.

“I should like to meet this Kilgarrah!” He announced.

“He has left. Flown to where, I do not know. Though I could summon him, if you desperately wished to speak with him.” Merlin said.

“Remarkable.” King said in an awed whisper. “Dragons have been known for their Seer abilities, their ability to see the future and make great prophecies. Your true destiny in life has been revealed, Merlin, and he sits next to you.” 

Merlin beamed and she gripped Arthur’s wrist under the table, squeezing it gently.

“This ... Once and Future King? He’s always existed?” Lancelot asked bravely.

“Oh, sure!” Meliodas replied readily. “To an extent, anyways. There were always whispered rumours that a human King would unite all of the races, even before the Demon Race tried to do just that.” He pulled a face.

“The Demon Race were destined to fail, in that sense. They attempted to take over because they felt that they deserved to rule, that they were the strongest of all the Races. In truth, no race should rule other another.” Meliodas gave Arthur a small smile. “With the exception of now, of course. There is very little left of the old races now, even magic itself is beginning to fade. The time of man has come, and for them to be ruled by the Once and Future King...well, the future of humanity is bright in that sense.”

“Thank you.” Arthur murmured quietly.

“So Arthur has been predestined to be King and save magic?” Leon asked, a frown tugging at his eyebrows.

“In essence, yes.” King said, nodding slowly. “These rumours come from before my time too, back when Gloxinina, who ruled before me, was King of the Fairies, but I have heard of them. It’s very interesting that these monsters would appear now.”

“So… Arthur has now established himself as King with Merlin by his side, and so the wizard is sweeping in to take that hard fought peace away?” Diane summarised and Harlequin made a noise of agreement and she deflated a little, leaning back. “But I mean... _why_?”

“It’s simple, isn’t it?” Ban said and everyone turned to face him. He shrugged. “It’s like what the Captain was saying. There’s always gonna be someone who doesn’t want man to rule, who doesn’t want magic to die out. A wizard most of all! They’re ‘disturbing the peace’ to make a statement; they won’t settle for a man as the ruler of these lands.”

“I think Ban is correct.” Gowther said proudly, pushing his glasses up his nose. “It is the most logical conclusion to come to.”

Escanor let out a low chuckle.

“This wizard is bold indeed if they think they can stand against me!” He caught the glares of the others and coughed, adding, “And my comrades, naturally.”

Merlin smirked.

“For now, we will wait until they force our hand. I won’t create problems when there is no need for any.” Her gaze slipped to Meliodas. “Though if you wanted to look around the village the creatures attacked, I can take you there.”

Meliodas waved off her suggestion.

“I trust your word enough!” He said. “For now though, we should drink! To the reunion of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

“I’ll call for food and drink.” Arthur said with a laugh, causing a rousing cheer from around the table. 

/

The warning bells ringing loudly caused Merlin to jump out of her sleep, on her feet and magically dressing within a few seconds. She appeared in Arthur’s room not a moment later, seeing him already dressed and grabbing his sword to attach to his hips. He acknowledged her with a grunt and moved round the table, stopping next to her. 

“To the courtyard!” He ordered urgently and Merlin nodded, clicking her fingers. 

The other Knights were already outside and the Sins began to filter out from the castle too, Escanor hovering fearfully near the door as he was powerless at night. Shouts and screams filled the air and those living in the city of Camelot ran into the citadel, dirtied and bloody. Camelot’s Knights were trying to direct everyone inside and find out what was happening but the people were too shaken up to even speak. Merlin caught Meliodas’ eyes and nodded.

“Arthur,” She said quickly, “I’ll leave Escanor, Gowther, Diane and King here to protect the castle. You’ll come with me, Meliodas and Ban to see what is happening.”

King had flown down to Merlin and nodded once, _Chastiefol_ hovering threateningly behind him. 

“We’ll keep everyone safe, Your Majesty.” He said solemnly and Arthur agreed after a brief pause.

“Very well. The Knights will assist you.” The King said and Harlequin simply gave him a reassuring smile before flying off to give aid. 

The remaining four set out slowly into the Kingdom, the shouts fading away into the distance and giving way to eerie silence. As with the outlying village, many houses were burned and hollowed out, but nothing was still on fire and Merlin watched Meliodas scan his surroundings with narrowed eyes, the four of them tense and ready to strike. Arthur’s iron tight grip on his sword was turning his knuckles turn white but he paid no mind, his blue eyes flicking from house to house. Ban, as usual, strolled leisurely among the homes, pausing every now and then to study something a little closer, before shrugging nonchalantly and moving on. Merlin kept back, unable to shake the feeling that something, or someone, was watching them. There was a snap and the four of them spun towards the source of the sound, Ban growling in irritation when no one came forwards. Arthur straightened up, 

“Who is there? In the name of the King I demand that you show yourself!” He was met with mocking silence but then Merlin heard it - the whispered spell of a Sorcerer and her heart almost leapt from her chest.

“Arthur!” She shouted and he turned to face her and she could see the spell flying at his exposed back. 

Everyone moved and time seemed to slow down - Merlin reached out a hand to deflect the spell, Arthur noted the terror on Merlin’s face and began to run towards her and Ban moved to where the spell was coming from to take out the source. But it was Meliodas who was quickest - in a flash, he was between the spell and Arthur and had drawn his Sacred Treasure, _Lostvayne._

“ **Full counter!** ” He yelled and swiped his sword through the air, the spell halting before being flung back at the caster double strength. 

A scream and then a heavy thud told the group he had hit the target and time seemed to catch up, everything happening at once. Arthur paused next to Merlin, who held onto his arm tightly and Ban had landed on the roof where the assailant was hidden, peering at them.

“I don’t think this is a Belialuin wizard.” He deadpanned and Merlin’s eyebrows raised.

“What? Bring them down.”

Ban brought the body off the roof, laying it on the roadside and Merlin knelt down immediately. She ran a hand over him and sighed.

“No, he is not. He’s a Sorcerer ... one of the ones who learn from Druid teachings.” She looked up at Ban and Meliodas. “The only kind of Sorcerers to be around these days.”

“I didn’t kill him, did I?” Meliodas asked, peering at the man and Merlin shook her head.

“He’s just unconscious. His spell wasn’t very strong.”

“We’ll take him back to the castle, see what he knows.” Arthur looked around at the vastly damaged streets. “I’m guessing he couldn’t do all of this?”

“It’s unlikely.” Merlin said, gesturing for Ban to carry the unconscious man and then the four of them travelled back into the castle, finding everything (relatively) under control in the throne room. The villagers who had escaped were huddled together, with the Knights and remaining Sins walking among them and checking that they were okay. Many of the villagers were staring in wonder at the Sins who, although had sensibly made themselves look somewhat normal, still stood out among the neutrality of everyone else. 

“With me.” Merlin barked at the Sins who followed her from the room immediately, moving down to the dungeons where Ban lay the unconscious Sorcerer before slamming the cell door shut. “We will wait until he wakes up, then I shall speak to him.”

“Can’t you just wake him up yourself?” Meliodas asked.

“It’s better if he wakes up in his own time - he is human, his body will need to recover from the blow. Have Gaius on hand,” She added in afterthought to Arthur, “In case he needs medical attention. I have a feeling he’s going to answer a lot of the questions we have.”

Arthur gestured for a few soldiers to go and summon the Court Physician and they marched away quickly.

“Meliodas...” Arthur began and the Captain glanced up. “What was it you did to him?”

“Oh!” Meliodas said and a bright grin spread over his face. “It’s my magic ability - ‘ **Full Counter’**! I can deflect any magical attacks as long as I have something to hit them away with. I remember doing it with a spoon once, actually...” 

“Magical ability? So you all have magic?” Arthur asked firmly and Meliodas seemed surprised at the question but nodded.

“Well, of course! Every race had magic back when we were active, including all the human Knights of the city. - the Holy Knights! No one’s magic would ever rival Merlin’s though, she is a wizard, a mage, a sorceress! Her magic ability is that she _has_ magic.” The Dragon Sin explained happily.

Arthur’s face was drawn tight as he thought about this and he stared at the others.

“Okay.” He began slowly. “Well I know that King has a high magical ability because he is the Fairy King, and his magic comes with the spear from the Sacred Tree.” When King nodded happily, Arthur seemed to get a spur of confidence. “Diane is a Giant, and so she has magic that connects with the earth. Gowther’s magic is similar to Meliodas’, as he was made by one of the former Ten Commandments. Escanor...” Arthur trailed off then and looked over at Merlin.

“Escanor’s power is a grace that formerly belonged to Mael, one of the Four Archangels and it found its new host in Escanor. His **Sunshine** was eating him alive but I managed to find a way to halt its damage, though in doing so I granted him immortality too.” She said gently. 

“Right.” Arthur said a bit breathlessly. “And then Ban .. his magic is very much like those of the Holy Knights.”

“Yes!” Meliodas said. “I realise it’s a lot to wrap your head around. It’s just - humans, as the years have gone by, have lost the ability to use magic. That’s why neither you nor your Knights can wield it. Some are able to learn but the only magic left to learn is Druid magic. During the Holy Wars, Druids were those who worshipped the Goddess Clan, and it is thought that this worship meant they were granted powers. Merlin has told me that Druid powers nowadays are much different to what they used to be. Some are born Druids, so are born into magic, making them stronger,”

“Like Morgana and Mordred.” Arthur muttered.

“And some are humans who, due to Druid blood somewhere in their lineage, have the ability to learn a small bit of magic. Like your Physician, Merlin tells me!” 

Gaius, who had entered the dungeons at that point, jumped in alarm at being addressed and stared at the Captain with wide, alarmed eyes. He exchanged a look with his King, in which they clearly held an entire conversation, before turning back to Meliodas.

“Yes, I have the ability to do magic. Of course, nothing on the level of Merlin, even when she restricted herself, and certainly not on the level of Morgana or Mordred. I do have magic blood, perhaps from my mother, though it is rather weak.” He shrugged and moved towards the prisoner, kneeling down and pulling medicinal items from the small satchel he carried.

“Those names continue to be mentioned - Morgana and Mordred. Who are they?” Gowther asked.

“Morgana was Arthur’s half-sister. She was born with magic as her mother, Vivienne, had magical abilities. Mordred was a Druid boy, destined to kill Arthur. Both were enemies of Camelot and both are now dead. They were some of the strongest magic users seen in this age, especially Morgana. Some called her the Last Priestess of the Old Religion.” Merlin said stiffly.

“The Old Religion?” Meliodas repeated, bemused. “Well, that is one way to refer to the worship of the Goddess Clan.”

“Enemies of Camelot? What did they do?” Ban queried, his dark eyes searching.

“Morgana betrayed us after being corrupted by her half-sister, Morgause, another Priestess. I ... I may have had a hand in that. Morgana was then hell-bent on taking over Camelot, killing Uther, her and Arthur’s father, and attempting to kill Arthur. Mordred ... we rescued him when he was a child. When he was older, he became a Knight of Camelot but ultimately allied himself with Morgana. He was the one who nearly killed Arthur.” Merlin sighed as she recited this, thinking of how she easily had the power to stop both of them and had chosen not to. 

“Arthur nearly died?” Diane gasped.

“It was then I used some of my real power. To save him.”

“Merlin...” Arthur murmured. “You never told me that.”

The Mage shook her head and a groan echoed throughout the dungeon. They all glanced over to the cell, Merlin pointedly avoiding Arthur’s piercing stare, and focused instead on the Sorcerer.

“Good, he is awake. What is your name?” Merlin asked, crouching next to him. 

He startled and, upon spotting Meliodas, scuttled back in fright and pressed himself against the wall, panting heavily. 

“Your name?” Arthur said stonily, and the Sorcerer winced.

“B-Borden.” He stammered.

“Borden. Why were you trying to kill me?”

“I had o-orders, Sir, he promised me-“

“He?” Merlin latched onto the word fiercely. “Who is this he?”

“H-He-” But Borden broke off and shook his head. “I won’t! I won’t betray my Master, the strongest of us all!”

Merlin’s eyebrows raised and she looked over at the Sins, who were wearing similar expressions of confusion. The mage caught Gowther’s eye and she nodded at him watching as Borden pressed his lips into a thin line and continued to shake his head. His expression suddenly fell slack for a few minutes and Merlin grasped Arthur’s arm to stop him from shaking the Sorcerer back into reality. Borden’s loud gasp punctured the silence and he fell back against the wall, his eyes wide and fearful.

“I- I won’t speak! I won’t betray him!” He insisted once more, as though the last few moments in time had not occurred. 

“I have a feeling we won’t need you to.” Merlin said coldly, waving a hand and observing as he slumped over, deep in sleep. “Gowther?”

The doll blinked and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose nervously. 

“I read his memories, Merlin. I have a name - Polemistis.”

”Polemistis...” Merlin repeated breathlessly, feeling like she had been punched and she stumbled back a little as the feeling left her legs. Arthur gently rested a hand on the small of her back to keep her upright and Meliodas stepped in front of her, squeezing her shoulder. 

“You know him?” The Dragon Sin asked sharply.

”Y-Yes.” She stammered fearfully. “He was one of the wisemen, our leaders, and a teacher in Belialuin. He was one of the council members who adamantly campaigned for training the strongest children as weapons against the Demon Race. When I was born, with **Infinity** , well ... he did everything he could to make me a weapon. My father had failed though, so of course Polemistis would too.”

” **Infinity**...?” Arthur asked.

”Yes. My inherent magical power - My spells will remain active until I myself choose to dispel them. It means I can create fire that burns forever. I can stop my own time to make myself immortal. I can create a spell to forever halt the effects of Escanor’s **Sunshine** that will never wear off.” She shook her head. “It’s outside the laws of magic. It’s why I was so sought after - why both the Supreme Deity and the Demon King wanted me on their side during the First Holy War. It’s why Polemistis begged my father to let him train me - he said he could make me the strongest Mage the world has ever seen.”

”You did that yourself.” King said gently and Merlin smiled gratefully, in spite of herself.

”That I did. I refused to be anyone’s weapon but my own - that’s why I tricked the Supreme Deity and Demon King.” Shaking herself, Merlin turned back to the doll.

”Gowther? Did you get anything else from his memories?”

“Yes. This Polemistis sends those Demon creatures you spoke of with these Druid sorcerers to locations in and around Camelot, and gives them some level of command over them. A spell, maybe? There was also an old tower. A fort, perhaps. Maybe you’d know it if you saw it.” Gowther replied and he took a few steps forwards, placing his delicate fingers on Merlin’s temples. A faint pink light appeared and Merlin saw the tower in her mind - tall, crumbling, and teeming with age-old magic. _Her_ magic.

She growled and pulled out of Gowther’s grip.

”I know where he is.” She said to the group. “He’s _toying_ with me.”

”Why? Where is he?” Ban asked, his eyes narrowing.

”He is at a magic tower - mine, to be exact. The one I would stay in when I wasn’t with all of you.” She gestured broadly at the Sins, all of whom frowned at her words.

”You experiments, your discoveries-?” King began hesitantly.

”Not there. I brought everything with me when I came to Camelot. I never thought ... well I didn’t think I’d go back there to be honest.”

Everyone deflated in relief and then looked at each other as if to say, ‘Now what?’.

”Well, we have to go there.” Arthur said. “Whether Polemistis is there or not. He has been creating those Demon-like creatures. If that’s the source of it all ... we have to at least _try_ and stop it.”

”Arthur is right.” Meliodas said firmly. “And if he is there ... well, then we show this Polemistis why the Seven Deadly Sins were considered the greatest order of Holy Knights ever seen in the Kingdom of Liones.”

”Don’t underestimate him. He is older than me, remember.” Merlin warned her Captain, who simply grinned lazily and winked at her.

”Merlin ... I don’t understand.” Diane said, a frown tugging at her eyebrows. “How is it that he’s alive? I thought that Belialuin wizards weren’t immortal, except for you...?”

Merlin paused.

”I...I don’t know. Unless he has managed the impossible - discovered a spell for immortality.” She shook her head. “If that’s true then ... he really is exceptionally powerful.”

”We won’t know until we see him. There’s no use speculating. As Arthur and Meliodas said - we should go to the tower and face him.” King said boldly, and the other Sins nodded too.

”Yes, I agree.” Merlin turned to face Arthur, who was watching her with an odd expression. “I suppose there’s no point telling you to stay behind?”

”Not really. I would follow you anywhere, Merlin, even to a millennia-old wizard who could kill me without thinking about it.” Arthur cocked his head amusedly and Merlin resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

”That’s meant to be my line, Arthur. I am your servant, your Sorceress, your _friend_. Polemistis won’t get the chance to even _look_ at you. You will-”

”Stick close to you and not go off and engage in heroic acts of bravery alone? I know. For once, I am fully understanding of the risks. I intend to see this through and return to continue ruling Camelot.” Arthur interrupted Merlin’s passionate rant, patting her arm fondly.

She nodded stiffly and turned to the Sins, all of whom stood with a fierce determination upon their faces. The Knights of Camelot seemed equally brave, though their tense nervousness was palpable in the stuffy, small dungeon space.

”The Knights of Camelot will defend the Kingdom. As I leave, I’ll place protective enchantments around the Kingdom though, in case they should fail, I give each of you one of these.” Merlin clicked her fingers and a small stone appeared in each of the Knights hands. “Crush them, and it will alert me that you’re in trouble. I’ll send a couple of the Sins to help you. Understood?” 

The Knights nodded and pocketed their stones. Merlin then turned to Gaius.

”Keep the citizens inside. Don’t let Borden escape. I’ll place enchantments on his cell too, but keep an eye on him. Though I can’t imagine Polemistis will bother coming to fetch him.” After a moment, she added. “And stay safe.”

”Always, Merlin.”

She smiled at him before looking over at everyone else.

”Well then.” She said with a sigh. “Let’s go.”

/

In the faint light of the rising sun, the tower’s dilapidated condition seemed even worse as Merlin, Arthur and the Sins appeared outside of it. Escanor peered up the hill, his eyes watching the sun rise behind the tower.

”It seems deserted.” He concluded and Merlin shook her head.

”No, I don’t think it is. Enchanted to look so, perhaps...” She trailed off and began to walk over to the tower, immediately sensing the presence of a barrier. Stepping even closer, she lifted her Sacred Treasure and studied the barrier, probing it with her power and muttering a few spells to test its strength. “ **Absolute cancel.** ”

The barrier fell immediately and the true condition of the tower was revealed - huge and gleaming with white stone, the top smoking from the fires that burned within. The horrific Demon creatures, hulking and naked, their flesh raw and oozing with dark, almost black blood stood guard outside, watching the group curiously. Their teeth were rough and jagged, and snapped together as the creatures snarled upon being recognised.

“The power levels of the Demons are no higher than the red demons of our time.” Merlin quickly informed the Sins who nodded and steeled themselves. The creatures leered at the mention of the word ‘Demon’ and Merlin took a deep breath, pulling Arthur closer to her by his wrist. “There’s more inside - thousands more. I need someone to draw them out.”

“Merlin, you’re not seriously going after Polemistis by yourself, are you?” Meliodas asked incredulously, looking at the Mage like she’d grown a second head.

“You’ll catch up with me, Captain. I’m sure.” She then winked and cloaked herself and Arthur from sight, letting whatever Meliodas was going to reply die on his tongue. He muttered irritably and then looked back over at the tower, wary of the creatures who still hadn’t moved.

“Why aren’t they attacking?” King asked, as though reading Meliodas’ mind.

”They haven’t been given any orders.” Gowther replied, cocking his head as he studied them. “They’re empty in the most literal sense - they answer only to their creator, they have nothing for themselves. No soul, no emotions, no thoughts. They are but a vessel through which Polemistis can create fear.”

”Okay, so how do we draw them out?” Ban questioned, glaring at the creatures.

Diane yelped as she suddenly began to grow in size, Merlin’s spell to keep her small being removed all of a sudden. In the next moment, Diane’s Sacred Treasure, the enormous hammer _Gideon_ , dropped next to her and the Giant Queen wrapped her fingers around it and slammed the butt of it into the ground.

“We force Polemistis to give the order.” She said, a small smile dancing across her lips. King giggled and flew up so that he hovered next to Diane’s head, _Chastiefol_ floating by his open hand.

“I like that plan!” He said and then turned his attention to the tower. “ _Spirit Spear Chastiefol_ , Form Four, **Sunflower**!”

His spear suddenly shifted in appearance, forming a towering sunflower that loomed over the tower. The petals slowly opened and a huge beam of light shot out from the centre of the flower, crashing into the tower and crumbling away the wall. Diane then steeled herself too, and held out _Gideon_.

” **Rush rock**!” She shouted and huge boulders rose from the ground and smashed into the tower, knocking over what King’s sunflower didn’t. 

There was a popping sound as yet another enchantment broke and the tower disappeared, revealing a huge castle with its walls partially blown apart, and thousands of creatures lined up in the hallways. A loud voice growled something, the sound booming across the skies, and the creatures immediately flew forwards and the Sins braced themselves for battle.

Meliodas allowed his terrible, dark power to erupt from his skin, the purple energy spreading over his face and arms, a diabolical grin darkening his features. He leapt towards the creatures, drawing his sword and began to slice them down, the Sins following his lead all around him. The sun had risen over the hill at this point and Escanor shivered as his body was bathed in its warm glow, his power reacting within and causing his body to grow, strength filling his veins. He lifted a hand and waited for a few moments before his Sacred Treasure, the enormous golden axe _Rhitta_ , flew into his hand and he swiped it through the air, instantly killing many of the creatures who had begun to advance on him. King and Diane kept up their big attacks, working on destroying the castle to provoke Polemistis into coming out too - Merlin was still hidden from sight, but Meliodas knew she was around as attacks that should have hit him kept mysteriously missing. Ban was viciously fighting many of the creatures, unfazed by the level of damage they were inflicting on him as he punched and kicked his way through the throng of monsters, blood from already healed wounds smoking off his skin as he fought. Gowther stood at the side of the group, using his powers that worked best from a distance to launch attacks on the creatures nerves and manipulate their base instincts, taking advantage of the fact that they had no thoughts or soul themselves. The doll looked tense as he worked on pushing out Polemistis’ control and exerting his own will over the creatures so that they would turn on each other. Each of the Sins worked hard to push the monsters back, fighting with all they had to reduce their numbers and eventually the huge crowd began to thin as body after body fell, the battlefield bloody and repulsive. Meliodas clambered over fallen bodies in order to reach the castle, his gut telling him that Merlin had entered.

“Captain!” Ban called over. “Arthur!” 

Meliodas followed with his eyes where Ban was wildly gesturing and he hissed as he spotted Arthur stood near the entrance of the castle, grasping Excalibur in his hand and attempting to fend off three of the creatures at once. Even from a distance, Meliodas could tell that the monsters were using their power to impose fear upon humans and that Arthur was doing an excellent job at pushing it off. The Dragon Sin pushed himself off the ground with immense strength, landing next to Arthur and cutting down the creatures quickly. Arthur staggered as their spell shattered and he drew in a few, deep ragged breaths and looked at Meliodas, his eyes wide as he took in the Sins dark appearance.

“Merlin left me here, she said you would look after me.” He cracked a weak smile and Meliodas reminded himself to have a few harsh words with Merlin once this was over. “She’s gone after Polemistis.”

“I thought so.” Meliodas replied with a resigned sigh, looking out over the battlefield. Nearly all of the creatures had been destroyed now and the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins watched as the remaining ones were forced into a line, likely through Gowther’s terrifying manipulation, and Escanor raised _Rhitta_.

“ **Cruel sun**.” The Lion Sin said and a huge, burning sun formed over the axe and he flung it at the line of creatures, staring as they disintegrated into ash immediately, the burnt remains drifting over the corpses littering the hill.

“You ... killed them all.” King Pendragon said breathlessly, sounding astonished.

“Not all of them.” Meliodas replied grimly, watching as Ban, Escanor and Gowther disappeared from sight in a blink, sent by Merlin back to Camelot to aid the Knights who must have called for help.

“Camelot!” Arthur gasped and started forwards but Meliodas grabbed his wrist and shook his head firmly. 

“We need to wait for Merlin. Camelot will be safe - there’s a reason she sent those three and left us here. The main magic users have been left behind to fight the Sorcerer.” The Captain explained and Arthur nodded slowly, pulling his wrist from Meliodas’ tight grip. 

/

Leon considered himself a man quite capable of adapting to change. During his years of service as a Knight of Camelot, he had to endure many changes; he went from serving Uther Pendragon to serving Arthur, the two as different as Kings as they could be; he went from admiring Morgana as the strong ward of Uther to fearing her as a dark, terrifying Sorceress. He had to cope with the changes Merlin made after Arthur was crowned King of Albion after their defeat of Morgana. He adapted when magic was once again made legal, and Merlin revealed she was a Warlock. And, most recently, he had taken Merlin’s huge confession and the arrival of her friends in his stride, always one to be strong for those who weren’t. The Knights of the Round Table had stayed up together late into the night on many occasions since her revelation, speaking through everything she told them and discussing their thoughts on the Seven Deadly Sins when, one by one, they began to arrive at the gates of Camelot. 

Even now, ordered to stay behind and defend Camelot as his King, the man he had taken oaths to protect, followed the Sorceress he was hopelessly in love with into incredible danger, Leon did not argue and let Arthur leave. Where Merlin was involved, no amount of logic and reason would change Arthur’s mind - Leon had learned that early. So, he assumed his position as head of the Knights and posted sentries of the walls of Camelot and ordered for all civilians to be kept in the throne room, protected by as many soldiers they could spare. Gaius stayed behind in the dungeons to keep a watchful eye over Borden, still asleep from Merlin’s spell, whilst the Knights of the Round Table went to the front gates and stood guard there, watching the road into Camelot apprehensively. They hadn’t stood watch for very long when a guttural growl echoed around them and there was a flash, before the horrible creatures from the village appeared on the road before them. Sentries screamed and ran to ring the warning bells, alerting Camelot to an attack. Leon drew his sword and steadied his erratic heart. The Demons were running forwards but were not moving, an invisible wall blocking their way into Camelot. The booming voice from the skies echoed around them once more and Merlin’s protective enchantment was broken, the creatures moving forwards immediately.

”We are Knights of Camelot, tasked by our honourable King to defend this Kingdom no matter what! Even if our bodies are reduced to ash, our sprits will never stop fighting for this great Kingdom!” Leon yelled. “For Camelot!”

He was answered with a resounding cry of,

”For Camelot!” By his fellow Knights and they met the Demons in battle.

It was horrible, bloody business; cutting one down meant that two more would take its place, baring their jagged teeth in a vicious snarl and reaching out to claw at the Knights face. Leon could feel fear beginning to stir in his heart, a product of their dark power like Merlin had explained, but he refused to let it take hold of him. Sparing a quick glance to his surroundings, Leon realised that the other Knights had the same idea but they were quickly being overwhelmed. Ducking a swing from one of the creatures, Leon rolled away and reached into his cloak, pulling the small stone out. Immediately, he crushed it in his fist, staring as the dust floated away. After a few heart-stopping seconds, three figures appeared in the distance - Ban, the Fox Sin of Greed, Escanor the Lion Sin of Pride and Gowther, the Goat Sin of Lust. All three stepped into battle and at once the battle turned in Camelot’s favour. The Sins were able to kill multiple Demons at once, unaffected by their dark power, and with immense strength of their own. Leon’s eyes grew wide as Ban had his entire arm ripped off by one of the creatures but it grew back only seconds later and the Fox Sin punched through the Demons chest. Pulling nunchucks from the waistband of his trousers, he let out a scream (“ **Fox Hunt**!”) and the nunchucks plunged into the body of an oncoming Demon, pulling out its heart and Ban crushed it under his foot. Escanor, towering above everyone else, radiated an oppressive heat and simply had to swing his golden axe for the Demons to crumble to nothing. Gowther had jumped onto the walls of the castle and was watching the battlefield carefully - Merlin had told the Knights that his powers worked better long distance and often affected the minds or nerves of his victims. Leon shouted a battle cry and the Knights rallied at his side, launching in the battle in order to aid the Sins and after what felt like eons, it ended. Leon surveyed the chaos around him and shivered, the sight of the fallen corpses enough to make him want to retch. No one had been seriously injured, with Gwaine only nursing a broken arm which was partially self inflicted by his own foolish bravery. 

“It was bold indeed of these creatures to think they could defeat me.” Escanor boomed proudly, chortling a little. “Me! The strongest of the Sins.”

Ban rolled his eyes and walked up to Leon, his injuries and the old blood smoking off his skin leaving it smooth and unblemished - save for the one, jagged pink scar that curled up his neck and over his jaw. The Fox Sin glanced over the Knights.

”You fought well.” He commended and Leon grinned.

”Thank you.” His smile faltered a little as he asked, “Do you know what happened to Arthur?”

”Last I saw, he was with the Captain.” At the look on Leon’s face, the Fox Sin added, “So he’s safe as. Nothing gets past Meliodas. Merlin went looking for Polemistis.”

”Alone?” Lancelot all but shrieked, overhearing the conversation and when Ban nodded he let out a heavy sigh, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. “Is she crazy?”

”Hey,” Ban said sharply, “Merlin has faced crazy strong opponents before and has always come out tops. This Polemistis guy is the same. So what he’s older than her? So what he’s found a way to become immortal? Merlin was always the strongest of the wizards of Belialuin, her inherent magical power supersedes the laws of magic and she has been blessed by both the Supreme Deity and the Demon King. She’s gonna be fine.”

”I really hope so.” Lancelot whispered and Leon gripped his shoulder comfortingly.

/

“You’ll catch up with me Captain, I’m sure.” Merlin said with a wink before clicking her fingers and cloaking herself and Arthur from sight, smirking a little as Meliodas opened and shut his mouth before scowling in irritation.

Gesturing for Arthur to follow her, Merlin moved away from the group and headed towards the tower, watching over the Sins from the corner of her eye – they seemed to be discussing something, both Ban and Meliodas frowning deeply as they watched the creatures that kept guard in front of the tower. Though snarling and clearly itching to attack, they did not move, most likely waiting for orders to do so from Polemistis. Merlin held a hand out to Diane and whispered,

“ **Magic cancel**.”

The Giantess squealed as her size suddenly changed and she grew to her normal height, her clothes changing to fit. _Gideon_ , her Sacred Treasure, dropped next to her too and she reached out to grab it, thinking carefully and turned excitedly to the others to tell them her idea. Merlin stayed back and observed as the Sins began to attack the tower, shattering the enchantment through force rather than magic. A castle stood where the tower was, much grander than anything Merlin had built on the land, and thousands of Demons were revealed to be standing in the hallways. A voice angrily yelled,

“ATTACK! KILL THEM ALL!” So loudly that it echoed across the plains and then the ground began to shake as the creatures ran at the Sins. Merlin frowned as she recognised it as the dark language of Belialuin. 

“What was that?” Arthur gasped, his eyes wide with horror as they observed the scene in front of him – both the Demons and the Sins fighting with a terrible ferocity. Merlin noted that Meliodas’ power, though awe-inspiring in strength, was kept perfectly under control and he released it only when faced with a particularly nasty opponent. Merlin and Arthur watched the fight for a few minutes, Merlin making sure that more serious blows dealt from the Demons missed her friends, before looking back into the castle. It had been completely emptied of the creatures, leaving Polemistis alone.

“Stay here.” She said to Arthur. “Do not, under any circumstance, come after me. Meliodas will keep you safe.”

“Merlin, what-?” Arthur began and Merlin rested her hand on his cheek, smiling reassuringly, before slipping away and into the castle, removing the spell from Arthur that kept him hidden from sight.

The inside of the castle was filthy, blood and rotten flesh lining the corridors and Merlin moved quickly to the stairs, running up them briskly. Every now and then she paused and released her power over the battlefield to see what was going on; the creatures had nearly all been defeated and Meliodas was with Arthur, his darkness so overwhelming that no other creatures approached them, just as Merlin had hoped. A small stone in the pocket of her robe began to burn, the signal that the men in Camelot needed help, and she waved a hand to send Ban, Gowther and Escanor to help them. She would need the main magic users with her.

Polemistis was close now, Merlin could feel his power pushing against her, and she moved up the final flight of stairs, running through the doors directly opposite the staircase. It was a wide, open room, with a balcony at one end and yet the room was filled with thousands of objects, all piled haphazardly on-top of each other on rickety tables. The mage’s eyes glazed hungrily over the items, making a mental note of each experiment, book and magical item he had retrieved. Polemistis himself stood on the balcony, staring out at the greenery beyond, dressed in the drab grey robes of the wisemen of Belialuin. Without turning around, he greeted her by her name, her real name that she had not heard in eons, and she shivered at the sound of it.

“Well, I suppose I should call you Merlin now. That is what you go by, is it not? Since your real name is impossible for humans to pronounce.” He said in the common tongue, barking out a harsh laugh.

“So you survived.”

“The complete annihilation of our race?” He finished with a sneer, “Yes. No thanks to you, our entire race was destroyed simply because you refused to _comply_ and join a side. However, it was also thanks to you that the efforts of the other races to stop the Holy War were doubled, as it meant no one payed any attention to Belialuin after that. I was hardly alive, clinging desperately to a few scraps of life, when I escaped Belialuin. I passed so many Demons as I travelled, Demons that were experiencing more life than me.”

Merlin noted the bitterness in his tone laughed loudly.

“Oh now, don’t tell me _that’s_ how you achieved immortality? You used a dark spell to draw the life from others, didn’t you? It adds their years onto yours, effectively forever extending your life so long as you always find people to take life from.” Merlin said, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face. “How crude of you. And, frankly, how embarrassing. You were one of the great wisemen, our finest military leader in generations, and the only spell you were able to create to sustain your life was to leech it from others?”

Polemistis hissed and finally turned to face Merlin and she had to stop herself from gasping – his skin was dull and grey, so many wrinkles lining his face that it was nearly impossible to distinguish where one feature ended and another began. He looked nothing like the handsome military leader Merlin knew when she was a child.

“Not all of us are able to cheat our way into immortality!” He growled, narrowing his eyes.

“ _Cheat_?” Merlin repeated incredulously. “My power is not cheating. I am simply using the inherent magic I was gifted with – I was clearly thought to be strong, a step above all other wizards, in order to be blessed with a power such as **Infinity**.”

“ _Hah_!” Polemistis laughed. “As if! You refused all of our training and left Belialuin when you were only a child. A step above all other wizards, _humph_! Don’t make me laugh, little girl. I see beneath the grown image you portray.”

“Is that why you’ve been provoking Camelot? To face me yourself? To prove who is better?”

“The world is changing. Only one wizard is needed in this world and that will be me. Besides, that human you call the Once and Future King, the one you _serve_ , is just as pathetic as those creatures outside.” He scoffed. “The humility of it! As if sneaky, cruel Fairies and stupid lumbering Giants are gifted with immortality but the fine wizards of Belialuin are not! As if Demons, the scourge of this earth, are able to live for eons whilst the inhabitants of our great city were forced to age and die as though we were no better than humans! It is a joke!”

“Having an end isn’t so bad.” Merlin said softly. “It gives you more to live for – more for one to enjoy.”

“Foolish girl! Mingling with other races has pickled your brain! Immortality is a divine gift, a chance for the best among us to prove our worth throughout the ages.”

“Except your immortality isn’t a gift given to you. It’s something you’ve stolen – you are undeserving of the years you’ve lived.” Merlin hissed and Polemistis’ eyes clouded over angrily.

She felt his power pummel into her, gripping into her skin like hooks and attempting to pull her life force from her body. Merlin guffawed and shoved his power back at him, smiling evilly when it knocked him off his feet. As he clambered up, he stared at Merlin in shock and she raised an eyebrow.

“What was it you said? That without being trained by the likes of you, I could never wish to be a step above the other wizards? I am Merlin, Boar Sin of Gluttony, a member of the Seven Deadly Sins. I have survived both Holy Wars and fought against the Ten Commandments. I defeated Chandler of the Demon Clan, master of Meliodas of the Ten Commandments. You think I have not learned all there is to know about my power and more?” With each sentence, Merlin released a little more of her power until it was a physical presence in the room pushing against the walls as though begging to be let out. “You, Polemistis, are the fool. You may have once been a fine military commander but age has settled in your bones. Your power is nothing in comparison to mine. You cannot expect to win this fight.” 

“We will see about that!” He rasped and then raised a hand, a cascade of fire thrust towards Merlin.

“ **Perfect cube**.” She said almost lazily and the pink barrier glimmered around the mage just as the fire was about to hit her, the spell deflecting off it easily. She watched as Polemistis’ eyes widened comically and he began to urgently try and cancel her spell. “You’re wasting your time. My spells will remain active until I myself choose to dispel them – that is the power of my **_Infinity_**.”

Polemistis roared in frustration and begun to release a barrage of magic, all of which hit the barrier uselessly and did nothing else. Removing the barrier, Merlin raised her hands,

“ **Fake ball**.” She said and the orbs of power were flung at the elderly wizard. He was able to deflect them by hitting them away with his own attack magic, the orbs leaving scorch marks on the walls they hit. “Oh? You’re showing some promise after all, Polemistis! Maybe this _will_ be fun.”

With a snarl that contorted his features completely beyond recognition, the elderly wizard went on the offensive, launching attack after attack at Merlin who kept dodging or blocking them; though to his credit, he had come close to hitting the younger Mage a few times. Their parry continued for a while, neither quite able to surpass the other as both were fuelled with the fierce desire to prove their own worth. As they fought, Merlin allowed some of her surplus power to gently probe at the distracted wizard, searching for a weakness or flaw in his power. She was thus far unsuccessful but her power hadn’t run out of ideas yet and she let it continue its search, desperate for something that would give her the upper hand. It came to her suddenly, just as Polemistis was distracted by the incoming dark presence of Meliodas, who was moving up the stairs terrifyingly fast. The door burst open and Meliodas ran in, his dark power covering his entire body except his face, which was twisted into a diabolical smile.

Polemistis seemed to have momentarily forgotten his fight with Merlin as he gaped at the demon, his jaw slack in horror. Merlin noted that Diane and King were outside, pressed against the window to watch what was happening inside, and Arthur was kept hidden in the corridor, Meliodas’ presence so overwhelming that she almost skipped over him. This was deliberate, Merlin realised with a start – Meliodas was releasing huge amounts of power to disguise Arthur’s presence and keep him safe. The Mage made a mental note to thank Meliodas properly once all of this was over.

“Meliodas the Betrayer.” Polemistis gasped, his voice barely a whisper.

“So you know who I am?” Meliodas asked smugly.

“Everyone does.” Polemistis replied, almost gushingly. “You were the famed Leader of the Ten Commandments – the strongest of the Demons, the ones who shared in the power of the Demon King and you were the most powerful of all of them, the favourite son of the King. And yet you abandoned them to fight for the Goddess Clan. You fell in love with one of them, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I did.” Meliodas admitted and Merlin heard Arthur quickly muffle a gasp. Polemistis was too engrossed to notice.

“But she died, didn’t she?” He sang, his eyes alight with glee as he watched Meliodas twitch slightly.

“She did.” Meliodas replied stiffly.

“Oh, poor Meliodas! His precious Lady Elizabeth, destroyed by his own brother. It was Zeldris that killed her, wasn’t it? A perfect shot with a dagger, straight into the heart, just before he was sucked into the Coffin of Eternal Darkness.” Polemistis’ grin was truly vicious now and he watched eagerly as Meliodas ground his teeth and took a few deep breaths to level his emotions. His power was teetering dangerously close to overwhelming him.

“My brother has paid for what he did.” Meliodas said eventually. “I pulled his body into so many pieces that it would have been impossible for him to heal. She … she is at peace now.”

“But the memory of her dying in your arms will never leave you, will it? Every time you close your eyes you’ll see it all over again – the light fading from her eyes as her blood spills over your hands, your name dripping from her dying lips and the crushing weight of knowing you were too _slow_ to save her.”

No sooner had Polemistis finished speaking did Meliodas growl and lunge for him, his hands around his throat before the elderly wizard could process what was happening. Launching into action, the wizard put up a shield which threw Meliodas off him but the demon was back on his feet in seconds, his entire body tensed for attack. It was at this moment that Merlin’s magic pinpointed _exactly_ what it was she was looking for and the knowledge settled in her brain for a moment before she began to laugh hysterically, gripping her waist as she cackled. Polemistis seemed to finally remember she was in the room and scowled at her, raising his defences as he glanced between the two Sins warily.

“What are you finding funny?” He snapped at her.

“Oh, nothing much. Just the discovery that your wonderful spell of immortality – it’s a _curse_.” Merlin grinned as Polemistis’ eyes widened a fraction and he audibly gulped. “I’m sure it didn’t start out as a curse. However crude a spell it might be, it was just that. A spell. You were powerful enough for that, granted. But years began to pass and it didn’t matter how many beings you stole life force from, it only _prolonged_ your life. You still aged and it began to wear you down, didn’t it? But stealing life from others is dark magic, dark and inviting and _addictive_ , so you couldn’t stop even if you wanted. Suddenly a spell that was once a beacon of hope to you had become a horrifying, endless curse.”

Polemistis said nothing. He simply clenched his jaw and continued to glare at Merlin.

“Now, I think I’m being a little unfair here. You see, only I can tell it’s a curse because my magic has felt it. But I think a little visual aid is needed for our non-wizard companions, don’t you agree?” Merlin giggled humourlessly. “I’ve been dying for an opportunity to use this spell – it was granted to me along with knowledge of the of secret dark arts from the Demon Realm.”

Polemistis backed up and went to raise shields but Merlin reached out with her magic, which surged up within her immediately as she called on it and suppressed his spells. With a smile, she then raised an arm and held it out towards him.

“ **Curse Discovery**.”

The air around them seemed to change as soon as she spoke the spell and even Meliodas shivered a little as her magic settled over Polemistis who began to scream. He fell to his knees, pounding the floor with his fists as he writhed in agony – the years he’d leeched from others being pulled from him and presenting themselves physically, in sagging skin and bared bones and his fingers began to crumble away to dust. His screeching echoed around the room and it barely formed words.

“Merlin!” He shrieked. “Mercy! Please, give me mercy!”

“I’m sorry, Polemistis, but only one wizard is needed in this world.” Merlin spoke calmly, before raising her Sacred Treasure, _Aldan_ , and holding it towards the dying wizard. “ **Exterminate ray**.”

The power shot out from her fingers in a single, deadly stream of pink light and hit the aged man, his screams echoing around the room as it rendered him to nothing but dust. And just like that; it was over. Merlin released a heavy sigh and Meliodas pulled his dark power into himself, crossing the room quickly to embrace his oldest friend.

“Thank you.” Merlin whispered in his ear. “Thank you for protecting Arthur.”

“My pleasure.” He murmured back, tightening his hold on her for a second before pulling away and glancing over to the doorway where the King of Camelot was stood.

His shoes and cloak were covered in muck and dried blood from wading through the thousands of bodies on the battlefield and his face was screwed tight into an indescribable expression. The look on his face softened as he made eye-contact with his serving girl and they hugged each other tightly, Merlin sighing in content and burying her face in his neck.

“We’re safe. Camelot is safe.” She mumbled and Arthur let a small chuckle and pulled back to study her face.

“Would I be a bad King if I admitted that I was more worried about you than I was Camelot?” He asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Merlin laughed lightly and ran her fingers across his cheek gently, the King’s eyes fluttering shut at the contact. With a heavy sigh, Merlin pulled her hand away and turned to face Meliodas, who was conversing with King and Diane outside to give Merlin her privacy.

“Meliodas.” She called. “Let’s go back to Camelot, hmm?”

“Yeah, sure.” He looked between the mage and the King pointedly and Merlin narrowed her eyes at him slightly. “I want to see how the others are.”

Merlin hummed her agreement and nodded before transporting everyone to the gates of Camelot, the huge castle suddenly coming into view. They had hardly adjusted to their new surroundings before a loud, collective,

“King Arthur!” Rang out and the King was encircled by his Knights, all of whom looking tired but otherwise uninjured.

Deciding to leave them to it, Merlin walked over to where the Sins had grouped together.

“Congrats on defeating the bastard, Merlin.” Ban drawled, winking at his old friend. “I had complete confidence in you.”

“Hmm.” Merlin said with a grin. “Thank you. Though ‘complete confidence’…?”

He laughed and shoved her lightly.

“Of course, Lady Merlin, my faith in you was completely unwavering! Though I wish I had been there to protect you from danger!” Escanor boomed loudly.

Meliodas smiled fondly as the Lion Sin and Ban began to bicker and looked over at Merlin.

“I guess you’ll stay in Camelot?” He asked, continuing before Merlin had the chance to reply, “I was going to ask you to come with us; travel with us for a little while.”

He smirked. “But nothing could take you away from him, right?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Merlin replied immediately, not liking the all-too-smug expression that was growing on her Captain’s face.

“I’m just saying. Don’t wait too long.” He said, before turning away, apparently saying all he had to.

Merlin stood frozen for a second before a light touch at her elbow drew her attention.

“Merlin?” Arthur asked gently and she pulled herself out of her reverie, facing her King with a smile. “What are they doing now? Your friends?”

“Whatever they decide, you know I’m staying here, don’t you?” She asked, feeling her heart soar as relief washed over the Once and Future King.

“But..?”

“My place is by your side. It has been for nearly 16 years and it will continue to be. The Sins… they are always my friends and should they need my help I will go to them. But I will always come back to Camelot. It’s my home.”

The smile Merlin was gifted with she would have fought a hundred Polemistis’ to see again, she decided.

“Hey, King Arthur?” Meliodas called over. “You don’t mind if we hang around for a while, do you?”

“Not at all.” He took a few steps back and then bowed to the group. “The saviours of Camelot are welcome to stay for as long as they like.”

Diane giggled lightly and Meliodas grinned at the King of Camelot. And Merlin, as she watched the Knights and Sins fall in together and walk up to the castle as a group, felt the most content she had felt in years.

_Finally_ , she thought happily. _Finally, there is some peace_.

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s that! To those of you who are on the ball, yes Polemistis is Ancient Greek for warrior - I imagined him as the military leader of Belialuin! He had to be pretty badass (but not as badass as our favourite Merlin ofc!)
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoyed this, it was so much fun to write! I tried my best to get the characters of the Sins correct but I’m sure I made some mistakes, so I apologise! Thank you to everyone who read this, I appreciate the support so much!
> 
> If you’re a fan of Dramione (Harry Potter) or Wangxian (The Untamed/CQL), feel free to check out the other two fanfics on my account!
> 
> Have a good day/night, and stay safe!


End file.
